The National Health Information Strategy will support the achievement of the vision, goals and objectives set out in Quality and Fairness: A Health System for You (2001), Primary Care: A New Direction (2001) and the Health Service Reform Programme (2003) as set out in the Brennan and Prospectus reports, by ensuring that health information becomes more readily available and appropriately used throughout the sector. The Health Information and Quality Authority will play a pivotal role in the implementation of the Strategy. The potential of modern information and communications technology (ICT) will be exploited to help health professionals provide safer and more integrated care to their clients/patients and to achieve value for money.

At its core, the Strategy is about fostering a change of culture with respect to the development and application of health information at all levels. In the hands of people with the expertise and incentive to use it, data which is defined and understood in a shared way is transformed into information. This information, set in the context of previous action, becomes evidence and evidence that is analysed and researched becomes knowledge. The potential of applied health information to transform all aspects of healthcare delivery and to effect major improvements in population health is clear and, with consistent effort, attainable. The implementation of this Strategy will contribute in a very significant and fundamental way toward achieving that goal.